Three Months
by ZebbieCullen
Summary: “Carson, what’s wrong?” “I’ve got the test results. There not good, love.” Laura Cadman has three months to live. BeckettCadman
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I haven't written the last chapter yet, but it will probably have a happy ending. I do not own SGA and all mistakes are my own. Let me know what you think!

Paring: Backett/Cadman

Summary: Laura Cadman has just three months to live...

* * *

Laura Cadman sat on the edge of one of the soft infirmary beds, listening to the peaceful hum of the machinery that surrounded her. She'd been having a lot of painful headaches, which had turned to migraines recently, so she'd gone to the infirmary to see if they could offer an help. Carson had examined her and he'd decided to run some further tests and scans to find the source of the problem and she was waiting for the results. 

She and Carson had stopped dating several months ago, but they'd been determined to remain friends. He'd always be the one to treat her various injuries and she'd be the one to protect him when they went off-world. They ate lunch together every now and then, and he was always there to listen to her bitch about McKay and even joined in sometimes.

"Laura," the sound of Carson's Scottish brogue brought her out of her train of thought. She smiled as he walked over to her. Laura looked at him. Her smiled faded slightly when she saw a look of uncertainty in his icy blue eyes. She'd always been suck a sucker for blue eyes, and his were about as blue as you could get. "Could I talk to you for a minuet, lass?" he asked.

She hopped off the bed and followed him into his office. It was a mess, had been for a long as Laura could remember. There was a cold cup of coffee left on the desk as well as various medical reports and files. His laptop was in sleep mode and there was an old copy of 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy gathering dust in one of the desk draws.

"Do you have the results?" asked Laura, smiling when she caught a glimpse of an old photo of the two of them, underneath one of the medical reports.

Carson nodded and moved some of the chairs around so that they were facing each other. "Laura…I think you'd better sit down," he said as he thought about how he should tell her the results of her tests.

She looked at him again. Were the results really that bad? She sat in one of the chairs and Carson in the other. He sighed and took her hands in his. He'd always loved the way her hands felt, so soft and smooth. Carson had always regretted breaking up with her. It wasn't that he didn't like her. He loved her, and he treasured their friendship. He just wasn't good at long distance relationships, and living in two different galaxies is about as long distance as there is.

_Flashback_

_Carson walked down the seemingly endless corridors the city until he got to the gym. He took a deep breath and opened the door. The smiling face of his beautiful girlfriend greeted him. He briefly wondered why he was doing this. She didn't deserve it, hadn't done anything wrong, hadn't done anything to anger him, but she was going back to Earth next week, and Carson just didn't know if they'd be able to keep the relationship going._

"_Hey Carson," said Laura, completely oblivious to what was going to happen next._

"_Hey, love," he started. "Can I talk to you for a minuet?"_

_Laura nodded. "Sure, what's up?" she asked._

_Carson guided her over to a bench and sat down, unsure of how to start The Conversation. "It's about us. Our relationship."_

_Laura began to get a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "What about it?"_

_Carson sighed. He really didn't want to do this, but he knew he had to. He wanted to make her happy and he just couldn't do that when they were so far apart. "These last few months together have been great. Some of the best I've spent on Atlantis. We've had some great times and I do really like you, but you'll be going back to Earth soon."_

"_Carson, I…" Laura interrupted. _

_He put a hand up to silence her. "Let me finish love. I'm just that not good with long distance relationships, you need someone who can be there for you, someone who will have time for you, someone who you can spend time with. I'm not that man, and that's why we've got to end it."_

_Laura thought about protesting, but then realised it wouldn't work. She knew he was right, they'd never be able to do anything a normal couple would, and they'd hardly ever see each other or even have time to write. She knew this was the only way, but that didn't make it any less painful. _

_She nodded and looked him in the eye. "I understand. We can still be friends, right?"_

_Carson smiled. "Of course we can."_

_Laura smiled back and picked up her gym bag, gave him a light kiss on the cheek and headed for her quarters. She was able to hold it together until she got there. She dumped her gym bag on the floor and collapsed onto her bed, where she let the tears fall and cried for hours._

_End flashback_

"What is it?" she asked. "Carson, what's wrong?"

This was the part of Carson's job that he hated with a passion. The part of delivering bad news to people and their loved ones. He always felt so bad about not being about to do anything to help them with the suffering. He sighed. "I've got the test results. There not good, love."

He ran a thumb over her knuckles and carried on. "Those migraines you've been having, they were caused by a tumour, in your brain. I'm so sorry," he said, waiting for a reaction.

Laura stared at him and shook her head, not believing what she was hearing. A brain tumour? No, the results had to be wrong; maybe they mixed hers up with someone else's. They do that sometimes, don't they? She felt Carson gently squeeze her hands and she looked up to meet his gaze. "How long?" she whispered.

"Hmm?" he said.

"How long have I got?"

That was the question that Carson had been dreading the most. From the results of the tests, not very long. He entwined their fingers. "About three months," he said quietly, so quietly that he didn't think Laura had heard him until she nodded. She licked her lips and Carson saw tears well up in her light brown eyes. Laura never liked people to see her cry. To her it was a sign of weakness, but right now, she couldn't care less.

Carson pulled her into a hug as he fought back his own tears that were threatening to overwhelm him. The last thing Laura needed was to see him crying. He manoeuvred the chairs closer to each other and mentally locked the office door. He held her close, stroking her hair and muttering soft words of encouragement, saying that everything was going to be OK, even though they both knew it wasn't.

Eventually, Laura cried herself to sleep in Carson's arms. He picked her up and carried her to her quarters, not caring what anyone thought, or the rumours that would surely start. He mentally opened the door and dimmed the lights that had been left on. He lay her on the bed, took off her shoes and pulled the covers over her. He stroked back some stray locks of blonde hair and lightly kissed her forehead. Then he scribbled a quick note and left it on her bedside table, and left her to sleep in peace.

* * *

Laura woke up the head morning feeling like her head was about to explode. Then she remembered why. She touched her cheek and felt the dried tears. It hadn't been a dream. 

She sat up and looked around. She wondered how she got to her quarters? Can brain tumours cause memory loss? Then she saw that note on her bedside table and realised Carson must have brought her here.

The note read:

_I'm here if you need anything._

_Carson xxx_

She had to read it a few times before she took it in. Feeling a sudden urge to vomiting, she made her way to the bathroom and waited for the feeling to subside. She buried her head in her hands and took a couple of deep breaths.

She was confused. She didn't know what she was meant to be feeling. Scared? Angry? Regretful? Angry? Yes, anger is good; anger makes you feel better.

She walked back into her room, kicking everything that was in her way. She tipped over the table, she smashed a vase and threw the framed photo's on her desk across the room. She picked up the last frame and was about to chuck it when she saw what was inside it. It was a picture of her and Carson, taken a few weeks before they broke up. Carson had his arms wrapped around her waist and his head on her shoulder. Instead of throwing the photo she slammed it onto her bed as hard as she could. Ignoring the tears that were streaming down her face, she went into the kitchen and got herself a drink.

* * *

Carson Beckett sat in his office, a bunch of paper work sitting in front of him. He knew it had to be in the following morning, but he just couldn't concentrate. Laura's test results were sitting in his desk draw, mocking him. 

He didn't deny that he still had feelings for the young marine, he just denied it to everybody else. After all, they'd only make fun of him.

_Screw the paper work_, thought Carson as he left his office and headed to his ex's quarters. He knocked on the door and waited for her to open it. She didn't, so he knocked again and became a little worried when she still didn't answer.

Using his gene to open the door he stepped inside and looked around. It was dark and it looked like a tornado had hit. He heard something crack and looked down to see a photo that had been smashed. That wasn't the only thing that was broken, there was a lot of glass on the floor, the tables were upside-down and he couldn't see Laura.

He walked further into the room and scanned the room. He saw her sitting in a corner with her legs brought up to her chest.

"Laura?" he whispered as he moved closer to her.

He knelt down in front of her and said her name again. She looked up to see a pair of worried blue eyes staring at her with concern. "Hey," she whispered.

He could smell alcohol on her breath and saw two bottles lying beside her. One was empty, the other half full. "How you feeling?" he asked.

She gave a small laugh. "I have three months to live Carson, how do think I feel?"

"You never know. Something might come up; maybe we'll find a way to help you. There's got to be some Ancient device that could help," he said, trying to convince both himself and her.

Laura shook her head. "I'm a goner Carson."

But he wouldn't have any of it. "You don't know that."

"Yes Carson, yes I do! I'm dying and there's not a thing anyone can do about it!" she snapped, then she took another swig from the bottle.

Carson shook his head slightly and put a hand on her arm. "Laura, listen to me. I know you're scared, I know you're worried, but drinking is not the answer."

"How do you know what I'm feeling?"

"Because I'm a doctor, I know how people react to something like this," he said, as he gently pried the bottle from her hands and set it to one side. He whipped away some tears and put his hand on her cheek. Laura always loved the way his hands felt on her body. He had the hands of a healer.

"What am I gonna do?" she mumbled, putting her hand on top of the one on her cheek.

"Why don't ye go an' take a nice hot bath while I get ye something to eat?" he said, in a thick Scottish accent that he only put on when he was scared or worried.

Food was the last thing she wanted right now, but nodded anyway. Carson helped her to her feet, put an arm around her waist and led her to the bathroom. He closed the door and went into the small kitchen-like area of her quarters and searched trough the cupboards, he knew she wouldn't mind. He found a tin of soup and warmed it up. He put a lid on top of it and went to fetch Laura some clean clothes.

He knocked on the bathroom door and got a mumbled response, which he took as confirmation that he could come in.

He opened the door and walked in. Laura was lying on her back in a steaming bath. Carson blushed and looked away. "Don't worry, you've seen me like this before," said Laura, staring at the ceiling.

Carson smiled slightly at the memories, put the clothes on the toilet seat and left her alone.

She came out twenty minuets later dressed in clean clothes. She was a little tipsy from the alcohol, but made it to the couch where Carson was sitting. She looked around and saw that he'd changed the sheets on her bed and cleaned up the broken items in her room. She felt bad about snapping at him, but decided not to say anything.

"Feeling any better?" asked Carson.

She nodded. "A little," she said. She ate a few spoonfuls of soup and left the rest, saying that she felt a little nauseous.

Carson looked at his watch and realised it was getting late. "Ye look tired. Get some rest lass," he said.

Carson took her hand and led her over to the bed. She lay down and he pulled the covers over her. "Will you…will you stay for a while?" she whispered so quietly that Carson almost didn't hear her.

He knew he had other things he needed to do, but he couldn't stop himself from pulling up a chair and taking her hand in his. "I'm not going anywhere love."

* * *

TBC... 


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter. I do not own SGA blah blah blah. All mistakes are mine yada yada yada. Contains minor spoilers for Duet. Enjoy, and please review.

* * *

Laura woke up the next morning to find Carson with his arms and head on the side of her bed. He was snoring quietly and drooling slightly. She sat up and looked at the time. It was early, about five in the morning. She debated weather or not to wake Carson, after all, lying like that couldn't be good for his back. She decided to just leave him as he was and crawled out of bed. 

Before she fell asleep last night she decided that she wasn't going to think about the tumour today. At all.

She changed into a pair of sweats and a tank top and put on her running shoes. Running always helped her to relax. It helped her to clear her mind and to help her make sense of things. Not that there was much to make sense about, she was dying, simple as that.

She wondered what the SGC would tell her family in three months time. Would they tell them the truth, or would they say she died in battle or make up some other lie?

She did a few stretches, tied her hair back and then left her quarters and started running her usual route through the city. Not very many people usually came this way, so Laura was left alone with her thoughts. She thought about what she was going to spend the next three months doing. Her thoughts soon drifted towards a certain Scottish doctor.

If she was being honest, she'd never actually gotten over Carson. He was such a good friend, but she wanted him to be so much more than that.

After she'd finished running she went to the mess hall. She hadn't eaten in a while and was starting to feel the effects. She grabbed a plate of whatever the chefs were serving for breakfast and went to get a coffee. She placed the tray of food next to the machine and punched in the command to the Ancient coffee maker. Well, they think it's an Ancient coffee machine, but their not quite sure.

"Laura!"

She span around to see the worried face of Carson looking at her on the other side of the mess hall.

He walked up to her and gave an angry sigh. "Where did you go?" he demanded.

Laura shrugged. "I went for a run."

Carson shook his head and pulled her in for another hug. "I thought something had happened to you."

"Like what?" asked Laura, wrapping her arms round him.

"I don't know…I just…never mind," he said, releasing her from his hold.

She put her serious face on and looked him in the eye. "I'm OK, Carson. Really, I'm fine," she assured him.

Carson nodded. "I'll see you later, OK?"

Laura nodded back and watched as he turned around and left the mess hall. She knew everyone was probably staring, but she didn't care. It wasn't like it mattered what people thought.

She ate her breakfast and then went back to her quarters to change clothes. She groaned when she realised that she was meant to be helping McKay run some tests in his lab. Spending the day with Rodney McKay was the last thing she wanted to do. He never had forgiven her for taking control of his body and kissing Carson in front of everyone.

She put it off for as long as she could but she got an angry message from Dr McKay telling her to get her body-snatching ass down to his lab ASAP. She sighed and took the nearest transporter.

Once she got there she completely ignored McKay and got straight to work. She needed something to take her mind off the-thing-that-she-wasn't-going-to-think-about-today. She tested some Ancient tech for Radek and ran the necessary tests on the machinery.

The results were normal, just as she had expected. She was just about to pack up her equipment when Rodney said, "So, what's going on with you and Carson?"

"Nothing, McKay," she said, as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Really? 'Cause I saw that hug he gave you in the mess hall earlier, and that looked like something."

Laura sat on the edge of his desk and waited for the room to stop spinning. Stupid migraines. "We're just friends," she insisted.

He snorted. "Whatever."

"Your so annoying!"

"So are you."

As he said that, something in Laura snapped. "Yeah? Well, in three months I won't be here anymore and you won't have to put up with me ever again!"

Radek looked up from his computer screen. "What do you mean?"

"I'm…I'm going back to Earth," she said.

Radek frowned. "You are not coming back?"

She nodded and then dashed out of the room before they could see her cry.

* * *

Over the next week Laura gradually began to except what was happening to her. She had a few more breakdowns, went through another bottle of alcohol and even marked the day that she was expected to die in her calendar, but Carson had quickly taken it down. 

He'd spoken to her and said that they needed to let someone know about her condition, as he called it. He made it sound like she was pregnant or something.

She agreed and the two of them were now waiting outside Dr Weir's office.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked one last time. "I could do it by myself."

Laura shook her head. "I'll be OK."

He nodded and knocked on the door. They entered her office to see Col Sheppard and Dr McKay sitting in front of her desk. He said something to Dr Weir and then left the room.

"Carson, Lt Cadman, what brings you here?" asked Elizabeth.

Carson looked at Laura and she nodded. "It's about Laura, there's something you should probably know."

Laura held his hand and gave it a light squeeze, letting him know she was OK. He carried on. "A few days ago I ran few tests."

"Go on," said Col Sheppard.

Carson took a deep breath. "She has a brain tumour."

Elizabeth and Col Sheppard just stared at them, neither one of the knowing what to say or do.

"I've got three months left," whispered Laura, breaking the silence.

"Laura…" said Elizabeth looking her in the eye. "I don't know what to say."

"I do," interrupted Col Sheppard. "Anything you need Lieutenant, anything, and you just name it."

Laura nodded. "Thanks you sir. Would it be alright if I went back to Earth and visited my folks?"

"Of course, permission granted," he said, flashing her a reassuring smile.

She thanked them and left the room. Carson sat down in the chair next to John. He ran a hand over his face and sighed. "Three months?" asked Elizabeth.

He nodded. "Aye."

Over the few months that he'd known her, Laura Cadman had really grown on Col Sheppard. He admired and respected her. She was tough and didn't give into pressure. She didn't care what other people thought about her, and wasn't afraid to voice her opinions. That and she freaked the hell out of McKay. "Isn't they're anything you can do?" he asked the doctor.

Carson shrugged. "I've got every available doctor working on it, but nothing yet."

But Col Sheppard wouldn't have it. "Isn't there some sort of drug you could give her?"

"It's too late."

"But –"

"John, enough!" ordered Elizabeth. She turned to Carson. "I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

The Scottish doctor shook his head. "No, I'm alright. Thank you for your time Elizabeth," he got up and left her office.

He walked down the corridor and headed for the gym, where he knew he'd find Laura. As he guess, she was beating the crap out of the training dummy. Laura certainly had a unique style of fighting. It was a cross between dancing and martial arts. "Hey," she whispered, delivering a punch to the dummy.

"I had a feeling I'd find you here," said Carson, taking a deep breath. "Listen, I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me tonight?" there, he said it.

Laura delivered one final kick and left the training dummy alone. She turned to face him and nodded. "I'd love to," she said.

He smiled, flashing those dimples that she loved. "Great, meet me by the balcony on the east pier at seven," he said as he left the gym.

She smiled slightly to herself. As she was heading to her quarters she heard someone call her name. She spun around to see her CO jogging after her. "Sir," she said.

"Hey Lieutenant," he smiled. "I just want you know that I'm here if, you know, if you need anything."

"Thanks you, sir."

Laura punched in the code to her quarters, shut the door and slid down to the ground. She took a deep breath and tried to make sense of what was going on around her.

Well, she had a date (was it a date?) with Carson later. She got up off the floor and went over to her wardrobe. Since she didn't really know weather or not it was a date, she went with leather pants and a tank top. Sighing to herself, she went to grab a quick shower.

* * *

Dressed in leather pants and a tank top, Laura made her way to the balcony on the east pier. It was the balcony that she and Carson had had their very first date on. She decided to wear her hair down rather than in her usual ponytail and had put on a bit of lipstick; after all she wanted to look like she'd made an effort. 

Carson was already waiting for her. He was dressed in tight jeans and a blue shirt with a white T-shirt under it. He'd set up a small table with a tablecloth, a bottle of white wine and two plates with containers over them. He smiled when he saw her. "Hey Laura."

"Hey Carson," she said.

"You look amazing," he couldn't stop his eyes from looking up and down her body. He suddenly wished he hadn't worn such tight pants.

She smiled. "You too."

Tearing his gaze from her, he led her over to the table and pulled out her chair. He removed the containers from the plates to reveal a perfect chicken dinner. Carson loved to cook and had made chocolate fudge cake for desert, Laura's favourite. They made a quick toast and began to eat.

Just as Laura had expected the food was perfect.

Carson smiled as he watched Laura eat. "What do you think?" he asked, taking a bite of his own.

Laura just smiled, which Carson took as a good sign. He waited until she was finished before he asked: "Would you like to dance?"

She nodded. Looking up she could see the Pegasus stars in the night sky. She and Carson had decided to name them once, although she couldn't remember which ones were called what. "There's no music," she said.

Carson grinned and pulled out a stereo from under the table, he really had thought of everything. "I'd love to."

He switched it on and Laura smiled when she heard the familiar song.

_Somehow I know I will find a way,  
To a brighter day, in the sun  
Somewhere I know that he waits for me,  
Someday soon he'll see, I'm the one._

She chuckled. "Where did you get this?" she asked as she lay her head on his chest.

_I won't give up on this feeling,  
And nothing could keep me away_.

"My brother sent me a Disney soundtrack as a joke present for my birthday last year," he said. "It's very fitting, don't you think?"

_'Cause I still believe in destiny,  
That you and I were meant to be.  
I still wish on the stars as they fall from above,  
'Cause I still believe, believe in love.  
(Na na na, na nana, na na na, na nana)_

Laura smiled and nodded. They listened to the music and slowly danced under the night sky.

_I know what's real can not be denied,  
Although it may hide for a while.  
With just one touch love can calm your fears,  
Turning all your tears, into smiles_.

That was another thing she liked about Carson, he could dance. Most guys she knew had two left feet.

_It's such a wondrous feeling,  
I know that my heart can't be wrong._

"Thank you, Carson," she whispered.

"For what?"

_Love can make miracles, change everything,  
Lift you from the darkness, and make your heart sing (make your heart sing),  
Love is forever, when you fall, it's the greatest power of all._

"Everything," she said, wishing that by some miracle time would stop and they could stay as they were forever.

_Oh I still believe in destiny,  
That you and I were meant to be.  
I still wish on the stars as they fall from above,  
'Cause I still believe, believe in love._

"Your welcome," he whispered. His lips were now inches away from her, waiting to see what she did next. He got the response he was hoping for when Laura grabbed him by the neck and dragged him down to meet her lips in a passionate kiss. He moaned as she sucked eagerly at his bottom lip, her hands wondering over his rear.

Deepening the connection, Carson gently pushed his tongue past her lips, making her moan in pleasure.

They broke the kiss and smiled.

_Yes I still believe, believe in love._

_I still believe in love,  
(na na na, na nana, na na na, na nana)  
I still believe, believe in love,_

_I still believe, believe in love._

Carson kissed her again and then carried her back to his room, completely forgetting about desert

* * *

The lyrics are from Cinderella III, sung by Hayden Panettiere. Let me know what you think of the chapter. :-) 


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Enjoy, and please review.

* * *

Laura woke up the next morning to find that she was lying in Carson's strong, safe arms. He was still asleep and snoring lightly. His hair was a mess, but he was clearly happy. And so was Laura, Carson was hers again, the way it should be.

They only made love twice in their previous relationship, but when they had, Carson was gentle, but demanding at the same time.

Once again she wished that time would stop and the two of them could stay in each other's arms forever.

But no luck and a few minutes later Carson woke up.

"Morning Carson," she whispered, unsure of how to start a conversation. Were they back together or not?

He yawned. "Morning, love," he mumbled. "How you feeling?"

She smiled into his neck. "Better than I have in a hell of a long time. You?"

Carson just kissed the top of her head, but that told her all she needed to know. Carson still loved her. She knew it wouldn't last long, but she was determined to enjoy every minute of the time they spent together. "Will you…" she trailed off.

He cracked an icy blue eye open. "Will I what?"

"Will you come with me to Earth? To see my parents with me? I know they'd like you," she said, kissing his collarbone lightly.

"I'd love to. Would you mind if we too a quick detour to Scotland? I want to introduce you to my mum, she'd love you," she said.

Laura agreed. She'd heard many happy stories about Carson family. It was big one as well. He was sixth of seven children.

She'd also heard a few sad stories as well. His father had died when Carson was eight years old in a car accident on the way to work one morning. It was raining and another car had appeared from nowhere. His Dad had swerved, but crashed into a wall. He didn't survive his injuries. However, the driver of the car that had appeared from nowhere was put into prison for drink driving.

She'd also heard stories about one of his older brothers becoming a drug addict at sixteen years old. He was able to overcome it, but it was still a dark few months for Carson, who was only ten at the time. Carson also has a fear of needles from it.

She was able to drag him out of bed and into the shower. They snuggled and washed each other's bodies. Then they left the bathroom and pulled on the clothes they were wearing last night as they were still clean and went to find Elizabeth.

She was in her office as usual. Laura knocked and waited for a response.

"What can I do for you two?" she asked as Laura and Carson entered her office holding each other's hand.

"I was wondering if I could accompany Lt Cadman to Earth?" asked Carson.

Elizabeth thought about it. She really didn't want to let her CMO go away for so long, but in a few weeks, Laura would no longer be with them, so she agreed. After all, Carson had done so much for the city recently and deserved some time off. "Of course. The next scheduled checking with the SGC is tomorrow. You can go then or next week," she said.

"Could we go tomorrow? The sooner the better," said Laura.

Elizabeth nodded. "Of course."

They thanked her and left her office. The Scottish doctor looked at his watch and sighed. "I have to get to work. Meet me for lunch?"

She nodded and kissed him. "I've decided to tell Major Lorne. He's my best friend here on Atlantis, I think he has a right to know."

Carson smiled. "OK, call me if you need anything."

She nodded again and activated her radio. "Lonre?"

"_Go ahead, Lt,"_ he said.

"Could I talk to you for a minute? It's important."

"_Sure. I'm in the gym."_

She didn't think the gym was a very good place to tell your best friend that you were dying. "Couldn't we go somewhere a bit more private?"

"_Err, OK,"_ he said, wondering what she was up to. _"How about my quarters, in ten minutes?"_

"OK," she switched off her radio and headed for the nearest transporter.

The Major was already waiting for her and had change out of his gym clothes into his uniform. Lorne was head of security on Atlantis and was a highly respected officer. He was also Laura's CO, although they never thought of each other as that.

"Hey," said Lorne, letting the Lt into his room. She looked depressed. "You OK?"

She sighed. "Evan," she began. Lorne bit the inside of his lip. It had to be bad if she was calling him by his first name. "A few days ago I went to the infirmary. I've been having a lot of headaches and thought it best to get checked out."

Major Lorne moved closer to her and brought her head up with his finger so they were looking at each other properly. "What's wrong, Laura?"

She turned away and mumbled, "I have a brain tumour, Evan. I have less than three months to live now."

The Major just stood there totally stunned. For someone who'd been trained to deal with tough and odd situations, he sure wasn't very good at it. "What?" he asked, thinking he must have heard her wrong.

"That was my reaction."

"What are you going to do?"

She shrugged. "I think Carson and I are back together. We're going back to Earth tomorrow for a few weeks, to see our families."

Evan nodded, knowing there was probably nothing to say that would comfort her and said, "It's been a pleasure serving with you, Lt Cadman."

A smiled appeared on her face slightly. "You to…Sir," then she walked out of his quarters and back to her own, where she punched her punch bag until her knuckles were bleeding.

Why was this happening to her? What had she ever done to deserve it? she found herself wondering again. It was a question that had been on her mind a lot recently, but she tried not to think about it too much, as it gave her a headache. Or it might have something to do with the amount of alcohol she'd drunk lately.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I own nothing. Enjoy, and please review.

* * *

Laura and Carson stood in the gate room waiting to leave Atlantis. Laura hadn't been on Atlantis for very long, but it was her home, she belonged there and her friends had become like family. Even McKay had become like an annoying little brother, she wondered how he would react when he found out she was dead. She bet he would regret everything he'd done to her then. 

"Chuck, dial the gate," ordered Dr Weir.

Chuck did as he was told and Laura watched as the gate span to life. She knew that the news about her condition had spread through the city, the looks of sadness that she had been receiving on her way to the gate room told her that.

Once a wormhole had been established, Dr Weir walked down the steps and came to join them. Laura could sense that she was uncomfortable and didn't know what to say, so she said, "Thank you, Elizabeth."

"For what?"

"Everything," she smiled. "For being a great leader and a better friend."

"You to," said Elizabeth. "Have fun, and see you both soon."

Laura nodded. She hadn't decided if she was coming back to Atlantis or not. It depended on how long she and Carson spent on Earth. She hugged Elizabeth and saluted to Col Sheppard and Major Lorne, whom had both come to see her off.

Taking one final look at the city and all its glory, she entwined her fingers with Carson's and stepped through the gate.

A few seconds later she was walking down the ramp that led from the gate in the SGC. She saluted to General Landry who was waiting for them. He saluted back and smiled. "Good to see you again, Lt," he said. "Dr Beckett."

Carson gave a slight nod.

"I understand that you've requested some time off. Any particular reason?" he asked.

"It's personal, Sir."

General Landry smiled. "Well, just a quick trip to the infirmary and you can be on your way."

Carson thanked him and led them to the infirmary where he used to work. He'd met Janet Fraiser when he was visiting America a few years ago. She had been impressed by his knowledge about genetics and spoke to General Hammond, who was in charge of the SGC back then. The General had also been impressed and Carson was offered a job, which he accepted.

He filled the other doctors in while Laura was being examined as he felt they had a right to know.

After they were done they went to their quarters. They had requested shared quarters, although she doubted they would use them. She wanted to hit the road (or air, as they were flying) as soon as possible.

"You want to get something to eat?" asked Carson.

She pulled a face and shook her head. "I hate the food here, it's worst than on Atlantis. We can get something on the way," she said as she got her cell phone out of her bag and dialled her mom.

"_Hello?"_ answered a woman.

She took a deep breath. "Hi mom."

"_Laura? Hi, how are you?"_

"I'm fine. You?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. We've just had the house redecorated, it looks great!"

"Really?"

"_Yeah, you should come see it sometime."_

She smiled. "Actually mom, that's what I'm calling about. I was wondering if I could come round for a visit."

"_Of course you can."_

"Great," she said as she gave a thumb up to Carson. "Because I've already booked a flight."

Well, she hadn't, the SGC had. "Would it be alright if I brought one of my friends? There's someone I want you to meet."

"_Sure, the more the merrier."_

"Ok, I'll see you soon," said Laura as she hung up the phone.

She turned to Carson. "Well, that's sorted. Let's go."

They grabbed their bags and left the SGC. She was going to miss life here. It was never boring and how many people could say that they'd been to another galaxy?

She called a cab and told the driver to take them to the airport.

They made it with minutes to spare and quickly boarded their flight. As they were taking off Carson turned to Laura and put his hand over hers. "So," he said. "Anything I need to know about your family?"

She thought about it. "I don't think so. They'll love you…I do," she said as she lent over and kissed him.

Carson wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she spent the flight sleeping in his arms. He sat there with his girlfriend, thinking about life. These past few days with Laura had really made him realise how precious life was. She taught him more than how ever many years as a doctor ever could.

The plane landed in California a few hours later. They got another cab and Laura gave directions to her house. She lived right by the ocean.

"How are you going to tell them?" asked Carson.

She shifted in her seat. "I…I don't think I am."

Carson sighed. "Love, you have to. They're your family, they have a right to know."

She shook her head. "I can't. It would hurt them too much. You can if you want, but do it when I'm not around."

"I won't tell them if you don't want me to," he said, smiling as the ocean came into view.

They paid the driver and got their luggage out of the trunk. Laura led Carson up the drive and round the back. Carson laughed as he read a note on the front door that said 'This is the back door, the front door is round the back.'

Laura knocked on the door and waited for it to open. A tall woman with brown eyes and blonde hair answered the door. She was clearly Laura's mother, but looked young for her age. She gave her daughter a hug.

"Mom, I'd like you to meet someone," she said. "This is Dr Carson Beckett, my boyfriend. Carson, this is my mom, Candice Cadman."

Carson extended his hand and she shook it. "Pleasure to meet you," he said.

Candice smiled. "You to. Come in. I think Damien and Charlotte are around somewhere."

They entered the house and Candice led them into the siting room where two others were watching TV and reading magazines.

"Hey guys," whispered Laura. She wondered if she'd be able to do this. This was probably going to be the last time that she ever saw them.

"Hey Laura…and co.," said the girl when she saw that Carson was with her.

"What are you doing here?" asked the guy. "I thought you were to busy for us, what with being a spy and all."

Laura rolled her eyes. "For the last time, I may work with the government, but I am not a spy," she said. "This is Carson by the way."

"Hi."

"Hey."

"Carson, that's my older brother, Damien, and my younger sister, Charlotte."

Of course he'd figured that out. The whole family looked very similar, sharing many family traits. They all had brown eyes, but Damien had light brown hair and Charlotte had strawberry blonde, Laura was somewhere in between.

"So, what brings you here?" asked Charlotte, flipping through a magazine.

Carson could see that she was having trouble keeping it together. "What, I can't come and visit my family without needing a reason?" she asked.

Charlotte shrugged and Laura sat down on the couch next to her, dragging Carson with her. Candice came in a few minutes later and announced that dinner would be ready soon.

"So," said Damien. "What's with the two of you?" he asked, pointing to his sister and the man next to her.

"We're dating," smiled Laura as she snuggled closer to him. "Where's dad?"

"Playing golf, he won't be back until late."

They were called for dinner. Candice had made pasta and garlic bread. The food was great, she was a wonderful cook, which made Carson wonder what went wrong with Laura, she couldn't even cook toast without burning it.

He helped clear the table while she served desert, which was chocolate cake. Laura saw the look in his eye, he loved chocolate and she wondered if there would be any left over for _other_ things.

"So how long are you in town for?" asked Candice.

Laura shrugged. "A week or two maybe."

Carson nodded and took another bite of chocolate cake.

After dinner was over they switched on the TV and Laura caught up with everything she had missed recently while she was on Atlantis.

Candice told her that her room was as she left it and she and Carson had an early night, as they were tired from jetlag. "So," said Laura, as she pulled he top off her head and changed into her night clothes. "What do think of my family?"

"I like them. Your moms a great cook, what went wrong with you?" he teased.

She punched him lightly in the arm. "Nothing, I just didn't waste my time in high school learning how to make toast."

Carson smiled. "Aye, that's for sure. You were learning how to blow things up."

Laura nodded and crawled into bed. Carson turned off the lights and soon joined her.

* * *

The couple went to the beach the following day. Laura had grown up here, so she knew how to swim and surf. They picked a nice spot and Carson got to work on his tan while Laura stripped down to her bikini, grabbed her surfboard and headed for the waves. 

He watched her from the shore, she was good, really good. Atlantis may be surrounded by water, but it was too cold to swim or surf. The only time they were actually able to make use of it was when they went fishing or in the winter when it froze over and they went ice-skating.

They stayed out until it was dark. After lunch Laura tried to teach Carson how to surf, but they quickly gave up on that. Instead they decided to make out for the evening and then they made love under the stars.

The next day was spent at the mall. The whole family went out for the day and they had lunch at the local restaurant. Candice introduced Carson to Laura's dad. They really liked each other and he told him loads of stories about Laura when she was younger, all of which she denied.

Laura and her father went to pay for the food while the others waited outside. "So, do you like Carson?" she asked.

Eric Cadman nodded. "He seems nice. He doesn't seem your type though."

She shrugged. "Opposites attract I guess."

She looked at him for a moment. "Dad, you know I love you, right?"

"Of course. Why?" he looked at her quizingly.

She smiled slightly. "I just don't say it anymore, that's all."

She excused herself to go to the ladies' room where she whipped her tears away and tied her hair back.

Over the next few days Damien and Charlotte gradually excepted Carson and they really seemed to get on well. At the end of the week while Carson was packing the last of his stuff, Laura made her decision. She gathered everyone into the living room.

She took a deep breath and began. "Thanks for a great week guys. I've really had a lot of fun. I wish I could say let's do it again, but this will probably be the last time I see you."

Everyone but Carson looked confused. "Why?" asked Candice.

Carson got up off the couch and went to hold her hand. He gave her shoulder a light squeeze and she carried on. "I'm dying. I have a brain tumour. I have under three months left to live," she whispered as she buried her face in Carson's neck, she didn't want them to see her cry.

Their reactions were as he expected. Eric left the room, Candice sat there in shock and Damien sat there holding a crying Charlotte. In a way, the sight made him smile. Laura was lucky to have such a nice family that cared about each other and her.

She wanted to get out of the house as soon as she could, so she hugged her family and they went to call another cab.

Before they left Carson promised the Cadman's that he'd look after her, and that he'd be there for her, always.

They drove to the airport and got on a plane to Scotland. A few days ago Carson rang his mom and asked if they could make a quick visit. Carrie Beckett had agreed and said that she couldn't wait to meet Laura, although she was a bit annoyed that her son had forgotten about the time difference between California and Scotland and ended up ringing at three in the morning.

Laura didn't say much during the flight or drive to his house. She slept on the plane and stared out the window in the car. "Anything I need to know about your family?" she asked, finally talking and braking her gaze from the window.

Carson smiled. "Only that they are all a bunch of loonies!"

She smiled. "How many of them are there?"

"Seven including me. Only two of them should be there though, and I think their both leaving soon."

"Which ones?"

"Jamie and Shona, both older," he said.

Laura nodded and went back to looking out the window. It was raining, just as Carson remembered it. The taxi pulled up and once again they paid the driver and got their luggage out of the back. Taking Laura's hand in his, Carson walked up the path and knocked on the door.

* * *

Only one chapter left. Let me know if you want a happy or sad ending. xxx 


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Hope you enjoy the last chapter and please review.

* * *

Carson walked up the path and knocked on the door. He slung his bag over his shoulder and waited for it to open. A woman in a mini skirt and a tank top answered. She was way to young to be Carson's mother, so Laura guessed it was Shona, one of his older sisters.

"Guys, Carson's here," she called.

Two others appeared beside her, a man and a woman, both of them beaming. "Good to see you again, buddy," said the guy as he pulled his brother into a rough hug.

Carson slapped him on the back. "You to, Jay."

He hugged both the women and then introduced them to Laura. "Allow me to introduce you to the lovely Lt Laura Cadman."

Laura smiled. He was always such a gentleman.

"And that's my brother and sister, Jamie and Shona, and my mom, Carrie," said Carson.

She didn't have time to introduce herself as Carrie quickly got them inside to keep them from the rain. Laura looked around the house. It was large, but small for a family of eight. Carrie had put pictures of her children at various stages of their lives up around the living room. Casually looking at some of the photos, Laura could see that they were a family that looked out for each other.

There was a family portrait above the fireplace. She could see that both the girls took after their mother with light brown hair and the five boys took after their father with thick mobs of dark brown hair. All seven of them seemed to have inherited their father's dark icy blue eyes.

"Either of you want anything to eat or drink?" asked Jamie.

"A coffee would be great, thanks," she said. She couldn't help noticing that Jamie was incredibly good looking, much like his little brother.

"Carson?" said Jamie, as he made his way towards of kitchen.

"Surprise me," he said, knowing that he was probably going to regret it.

Jamie came back a few minutes later with a tray of drinks. "A coffee for Laura, tea for mum and Shona, and prune juice for you Carson," Jamie smiled to his younger brother and handed him a glass of brown liquid.

Carson smiled, determined not to let his brother get to him after only a few minutes of arriving. "Thanks."

Carrie let them get comfortable before she began questioning them. "So, Laura, you're a marine then?" she asked.

Laura nodded. "Yep, United States Marine Corps."

"You both work with the US government, right?" asked Shona.

"Aye, but we can't talk about it. Sorry," said Carson, taking a sip of prune juice and then pulling a face.

"Yeah," smiled Laura. "Top secret."

"Are you spies or something?"

Carson chuckled. "I'm a doctor, lass, not bloody Double-O-Beckett."

Laura giggled and snuggled up closer to her boyfriend. Why does working with the government make people think you're a spy? He wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"So, how long have you been dating?" asked Carrie, smiling at how happy her son looked.

Carson sighed. "Well, we were dating for a few months, but then we broke up. We got back together about a week ago," he said.

Laura nodded and tried to prevent a yawn that was threatening to overcome her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. We're not keeping you up are we?" asked Shona.

She shook her head. "No, just jetlag."

"Please, you slept through the entire flight," said Carson.

Laura shrugged. "Well, maybe I am a little tired. We haven't exactly had a lot of sleep these last couple of days," she smiled mischievously and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

Jamie pulled a face. "Please," he said. "I do not need to hear about my little brother's sex life."

Carson shrugged as if to say 'Your loss'. Jamie stuck his fingers in his ears and started to make siren noises.

"Jamie, grow up," said Carrie, shaking her head at her son's immaturity. "Your room is now you left it, Carson. Why don't the two of you get some rest?"

They both nodded and Carson led Laura to his bedroom. He'd lived in this house for as long as he could remember and was lucky enough to be the only one with his own room. The couple grabbed a quick shower and then went to bed.

Laura fell asleep within minutes, but Carson couldn't. He felt so bad that there wasn't a single thing he could do for her.

A few hours later he slipped out of bed and went downstairs.

"Hey," said Carrie, a little surprised that he was still up. "What's wrong?"

He sighed. "Just thirsty."

"I like Laura. She's nice."

Carson nodded and drank a glass of water. "I like her too," he whispered.

"Are you all right, lad?" she asked, sensing that something was wrong.

"Mum, Laura's…she dying, mum," he said, turning away from her.

"Dying?" Carrie asked in shock. "Why? What's the matter with her? She looked healthy enough to me."

He ran a hand through his messy hair. "She has a tumour, in her brain. She hasn't got long left."

"Does she know?"

"Of course."

Carrie got up from the chair she was sitting in and hugged her son. Carson hugged her back and wondered if the SGC had some hidden device at Area 51 that might be able to help.

"How's she taking it?"

"She's strong, taking it all in her stride…" he trailed off.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Carson shook his head. "No, it's too late."

He drank another glass of water and went back to bed. Wrapping an arm around Laura's waist and pulling her closer, he kissed her and finally fell asleep.

* * *

Scotland was the opposite of California. It was constantly raining and was usually dark and gloomy compared to the bright, warm sun that Laura was used to. She looked out the window and waited for Carson to finish getting ready. He was taking her hiking through some of the hills. She'd never been to the UK before, but it had always been on her to-do list, and now that she was here, she wanted to see as much of it as she could.

They were halfway through the week and already they had been sight seeing, rock climbing, to several museums and had been to see the ruins of various castles. Most of them weren't really her thing, but she enjoyed spending time with Carson.

Shona and Jamie had left the day before, saying they both had to get back to their families. Jamie was a father of three and Shona, a mother of two.

"Ready to go?" asked Laura as she saw Carson come out of the kitchen with a cool bag slung over his shoulder. She guessed it was full of food, water and medical supplies. Carson always liked to be prepared.

"Aye, let's go," he said.

She followed him out of the house and across the road into a forest. He entwined their fingers and led her through the woods and up into the mountains. The air smelt fresh and the rain felt cool and refreshing on her face. They made small talk and stopped every now and then for a kiss or two. They continued up the mountainside and Carson pointed out all the places he and his brother used to play when they were kids.

As they were walking she noticed that a lot of the trees had carvings on them. Most of them said things like 'J luvs A' or 'L and K 4eva'. However, the one that caught her attention said 'Carson luvs Carly'.

"Who's Carly?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Hmm?" he said.

Laura pointed to the tree. "Oh," said Carson. "She was my girlfriend when I was about sixteen."

"What happened?"

He sighed. "She died. In a house fire a few months after I wrote that on the tree."

"I'm sorry," she said, suddenly feeling slightly guilty. She never realised it before, but Carson had suffered so much loss in his life. He'd lost his father, his girlfriend when he was sixteen, and soon he was going to lose her.

He could see that something was wrong, so he suggested they take a break. "Want something to eat?" he asked.

"Sure."

Before they left, Carson had made some sandwiches and grabbed some cold snacks from the fridge. "What do you think?" he asked, pointing to the view in front of them.

Laura smiled. "It's beautiful."

A few hours later they started to head back to the house. It was getting dark and it the rain was pouring down harder than before.

However, the rain was nothing compared to that of the following day. Carson took one look outside and decided to stay home and watch a couple of movies. The ordered pizza and spent a nice day together indoors.

Three days later and Laura found herself putting her bags in a taxi that would take them to the airport (they really needed to get a car). They rain had finally ceased and they were due back at Stargate Command.

Typical, thought Laura, the day we leave is the day it stops raining.

"Well," said Carrie. "It was nice meeting you, Laura."

They hugged and Laura thanked her for everything she'd done. She went to wait in the taxi while Carson said goodbye.

"Are you alright, lad?"

Carson shrugged. "I don't know."

"How long does she have left?"

"Two and a bit months."

Carrie sighed and pulled his son in for a hug. "I'm sorry, Carson. I'm so sorry."

He gave a small smiled and kissed her cheek, then joined Laura in the taxi.

* * *

Carson spent the next few days buried in a mount of paper work at the SGC. Apparently 'My girlfriend is dying' wasn't a good enough excuse to get out of it.

The infirmary was fairly empty, with only SG-18 occupying it. They had an accident with the Ori as few days ago but had only come out with a few scratches and sprains.

It was about eleven at night when Col Carter stuck her head round the door. "Hey," she said. "You busy?"

"Col Carter, what can I do for you?" he asked.

She entered the room and sat down. "Actually, it's what I can do for you," she smiled. "I heard about Laura."

"Have you?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry."

Carson shrugged. He was tired of hearing that. "You OK?" he asked when he noticed that she looked slightly uncomfortable.

She shook her head. "OK, listen. While you and Lt Cadman were away, SG-2 found a device off-world. It's Ancient and from what Daniel can decipher it's meant to heal damaged tissues in the body. I think it may be able to help her. But don't get your hopes up, it is a very big may and it could end up making her worse than she is now."

Carson smiled a genuine smile for the first time in weeks. "And we can use it?"

"If General Landry gives us permission. I'll ask him tomorrow," she said. "But it is Ancient technology, so we'll need someone with the ATA gene to activate it."

"I'll do it," he said instantly.

Carter smiled and went back to her lab. Abandoning the paper work, Carson raced back to his room and was pleased to see that Laura was still awake.

"What are you so happy about?" she demanded.

Over the last few days Laura had become rather moody and depressed. The news had finally sunk in. She was dying, and she wasn't taking it well. Carson suggested that she talk to the SGC's shrink, but she told him to 'Fuck off and leave me alone!'

"Nothing…"

She shook her head and went into the bathroom. "Well," said Carson. "I may have a way to help you…"

Laura stopped brushing her hair and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "SG-2 found a device that we think it meant to heal damaged tissue. If we can get permission from the General to use it we may be able to help you."

She smiled and kissed him. "Do you think he will? Give us permission?"

"Col Carter is going to see him tomorrow. I'm sure she'll be able to persuade him," he said. "But, it could make you worse than you are now. You don't have to do it if you don't want to."

"I'm going to die anyway, at least with this I have a chance."

* * *

Sam Carter walked down the halls of the SGC towards General Landry's office. It was early in the morning, but she knew he'd be awake. She knocked on the door and waited for him to give permission for her to enter.

"Sir?" she asked, poking her head round the door.

"Col Carter," he smiled. "Please, come in."

She entered his office and shut the door behind her. "Sir, I'd like to request permission to use the device we found on PX3-297. I believe we can use it to help Laura Cadman."

"I understand that you want to help her, but the machine is untested, we have no idea what it would do," said General Landry. "I'm sorry, but permission denied."

Sam sighed and decided to try a different approach. "Sir, we can't lose her, she's one of the best explosive experts we have. She's aware of the risks involved and wants to proceed."

"I'm sorry, Colonel, but-"

"General, this device could potentially help hundreds. Eventually we're going to have to test it. Like I said, she's fully aware of the risks and has agreed to go ahead. As far as we can tell it's safe, you know I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't."

The General sighed. Lt Cadman really was a good officer and if she was aware of the risks, then why not? "You're sure it's safe?"

"As far as we can tell, sir," she said.

"Very well then, permission granted."

Sam smiled and thanked him. She left his office and went to her lab to set up the equipment.

Four hours later Carter had set up the necessary devices, the infirmary had been put on alert in case anything were to go wrong and Laura and Carson were waiting for instructions. The device looked a bit like the stasis chamber they found the old Elizabeth Weir in. If she'd survived for so long, why couldn't Laura?

"So what do I do?" she asked.

"Just get inside the pod and relax," said Col Carter. "I have no idea what you might feel, so be prepared."

She nodded. "And what do I do?" asked Carson, looking at the machine. He was beginning to have second thoughts about the whole thing, if anything went wrong, it would be his fault.

"Just think 'On'. We should be able to do the rest," said Sam, pointing to her computer screen. "You're sure you want to go through with this?"

Laura nodded and turned to Carson. "Good luck," he said. He kissed her and then helped her into the pod.

Carter looked at him. "When you're ready."

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and commanded the machine to activate. Lights flickered and Sam told him to stop. The device was on and she and Bill Lee were working on the computer. "OK," she said. "She's stable," she turned the screen around so that Carson could see it. She pointed to an energy bar. "We need that bar to fill up before we can stop."

They switched the machine up a level. A bright light filled the device, preventing them seeing what was going on inside. After a while Bill said, "OK, she's still stable, let's take it up a notch."

The next few minutes felt like an eternity to Carson. The bar was almost full (whatever that meant) and the device only had one more level. He didn't even attempt to understand how it worked, but he guessed the device had different levels of healing.

"Oh no," muttered Bill.

"What?" Carson demanded.

"Something's wrong. Her heart rate is increasing."

"Get her out of there," he said instantly.

Carter shook her head. "We can't. If we do, we'll kill her."

Carson watched helplessly as sparks exploded from the machine in front of him. Sparks were never good. "Just a few more minutes," said Sam.

He activated his radio and told the infirmary that there may be a problem. Another explosion brought his attention back to what was happening in the lab. The Lt's heart rate continued to increase and more sparks exploded from the Ancient healing device.

"Laura!"

* * *

The first thing she was aware of was the stabbing pain in her head. The next was now heavy her eyelids were. The only thing she could hear was the steady beat of a heart monitor. Her heart monitor. She was alive! She forced her eyes to open and tried to focus her vision. The room was blurry and she was aware of someone holding her hand, stroking her knuckles. "Where am I?" she whispered.

"The infirmary at the SGC," said a soothing Scottish accent. "How are you feeling?"

She knew that voice. "Carson?"

"Aye, I'm here," he said, stroking some hair out of her pale face.

"What happened? My head hurts," the last thing she remembered was arriving at Col Carter's lab, everything after that was a blur.

"The machine malfunctioned. We nearly lost you," he said.

Machine? Yes, the Ancient healing device. "What about the…" she trailed off.

"The machine malfunctioned, but it was able to complete the process before we got you out."

"So I'm gonna live?" she asked, her voice full of hope.

"Aye," said Carson, resting his forehead against hers. "Your gonna live."

Smiling, she gave Carson a quick kiss and drifted back off into a peaceful sleep.

A few hours later she woke up again. Her mouth was dry and she was pleased when someone put a cool cup of water to her lips. She drank it greedily and smiled when she saw that Carson was still by her side. "How you feeling?" he asked.

"Better. It really worked?"

"Aye, you're going to be fine."

"I love you," she said.

Carson squeezed her hand. "Marry me?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

"What?" said Laura, sitting up and was instantly awake.

Blushing, he got down on one knew and pulled out a velvet box from his pocket. "Laura Cadman, I love you and these last few weeks have made me realise just how much. Will you do the honour of becoming my wife?"

Laura was shocked. She couldn't believe that Carson was proposing to her in the middle of infirmary after only hours of her recovering from a brain tumour. Or was it hours? How long had she been out for?

"Carson…" she said, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. "Of course I will!"

He got up and kissed her passionately. He took her left hand and slid a diamond ring onto her finger.

"Baby, it's beautiful," she said, pulling him into a hug. "You're shaking."

"That was the most nerve racking thing I've ever had to do," he smiled into her neck. "I love you."

"I love you to."

And she really did. Carson was the only thing that had kept her sane and he was only one that had been there for her throughout the entire ordeal. She didn't know what she'd do with out him, or what she was going to tell her family. After all, she'd told them she was going to die in less than three months, how was she going to explain it when she was still alive and getting married?

Tears spilling down both their cheeks, they smiled and shared another kiss as an engaged couple.


End file.
